al-Sahibi al-Taji
- Died
- 678 AH
- Born in
- -
al-Sahibi al-Taji (fl. 697 AH / 1298 CE) was an Arabic scholar and lexicographer best known for his specialized hippological treatise al-Halba fi Asma al-Khayl al-Mashhura fi al-Jahiliyya wa-l-Islam.
Identity and Dates
His full name is given as Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Kamil al-Sahibi al-Taji, and also appears as Muhammad ibn Kamil al-Sahibi al-Taji. Biographical sources describe him as an accomplished scholar (fāḍil). He completed his primary surviving work in 697 AH (1298 CE), which is also recorded as his year of death.
Scholarly Contribution
Al-Sahibi al-Taji compiled al-Halba fi Asma al-Khayl al-Mashhura fi al-Jahiliyya wa-l-Islam ("The Racecourse: On the Names of Renowned Horses in Pre-Islamic Times and Islam") as an alphabetical dictionary documenting the names, lore, and owners of celebrated Arab horses from the pre-Islamic and Islamic periods. In compiling the work, he gathered material scattered across earlier Arabic lexicons, books of dictations (amālī), and poetic divans. Within the alphabetical entries, he specifically recorded eight horses belonging to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. The author composed the work upon observing the high esteem and passion for purebred horses shown by the vizier Abu al-Mafakhir Muhammad, son of Fakhr al-Din Muhammad, son of Baha' al-Din Ali.
Answer updated
List of Works
al-Halba fi Asma al-Khayl, also titled al-Halba fi Asma al-Khayl al-Mashhura fi al-Jahiliyya wa-l-Islam, is a specialized Arabic hippological dictionary completed in 697 AH (1298 CE). The work compiles and organizes the names, owners, lineages, and historical lore of celebrated Arab horses from pre-Islamic times through the Islamic era.